Outpatient Access Specialist at Jones Memorial Hospital – Wellsville, New York

The Outpatient Access Specialist – Urgent Care is responsible for registering patients efficiently and accurately in accordance with hospital policies and procedures. This role ensures accurate demographic and insurance information is obtained, assists with patient flow in the urgent care setting, and provides courteous support to patients, families, visitors, and staff. The Specialist functions as part of the urgent care team, demonstrating superior customer service and professionalism while maintaining confidentiality and promoting a safe, welcoming environment.

Major Tasks, Duties, and Responsibilities:

1. Patient Registration & Intake
2. Greet patients and visitors, determine needs, and direct to appropriate areas.
3. Register patients in Epic/EMR, verifying demographic and insurance information.
4. Confirm primary and secondary payers, obtain consents, and check insurance eligibility.
5. Register Occupational Medicine patients in Systoc, including demographics, coding, payment receipt, and consents.
6. Utilize two patient identifiers at all times to ensure patient safety.
7. Clerical & Administrative Support
8. Perform clerical duties including keyboarding, copying, scanning, filing, and message delivery.
9. Answer telephones promptly, take accurate messages, and route appropriately.
10. Maintain and reconcile cash drawer, log payments, and ensure accurate receipting of monies collected.
11. Order non-clinical office supplies as needed.
12. Patient Care Team Support
13. Assist providers and staff as part of the urgent care team.
14. Clean rooms/chairs between patients as needed.
15. Monitor waiting area and maintain a neat and orderly environment.
16. Participate in team huddles, staff meetings, and quality improvement initiatives.
17. Information Management
18. Scan medical records to HIM using OnBase; scan Occupational Medicine/Systoc records to shared drives.
19. Maintain current knowledge of departmental software systems, including eRecord, Systoc, and online verification tools.
20. Complete all registration information required for specific insurance requirements (e.g., Medicare Secondary Payer Questionnaire, VA documentation).
21. Customer Service & Professionalism
22. Provide excellent customer service, serving as a calming influence during high-volume or stressful periods.
23. Maintain confidentiality of patient information at all times.
24. Participate in orientation of new staff as assigned.
25. Perform other duties as assigned within scope of training and policy.

Education:

• High School Diploma or equivalent required.
• Two years of college or specialized training preferred.
• Equivalent combination of training and experience may be substituted.
• Computer experience required.
• Must complete URMC training for the registration process.

Experience:

• Minimum of one year of experience in a healthcare setting required.
• Must demonstrate accurate record-keeping, strong organizational skills, and attention to detail.
• Requires excellent customer service skills.
• Receptionist II: Requires at least three years of additional experience beyond baseline qualifications.

Contacts:

• Frequent contact with patients, families, employees, providers, and the public.

Physical Demands:

• Sitting, standing, and walking for most of the day.
• Occasional lifting of medium to heavy weight.
• Possible exposure to blood and body fluids.

Working Conditions:

• Office environment within an urgent care setting.
• Direct exposure to patient care activities and variable patient needs.
• May be scheduled to work alternate shifts or on-call. On-call staff must report within 30 minutes of receiving notification.